Obama and the "War of Necessity"

President Obama has a real dilemma on his hands. What does he do regarding the situation in Afghanistan in which General Stanley McChrystal has requested more troops to avert a loss? Remember, Afghanistan was the war that Obama promoted as the "war of necessity" when he was campaigning against John McCain.

Frankly, Obama is not particularly interested in foreign policy, except for his warped pleasure in sticking it to long-time ally Israel. Again, that has much to do with the Muslim blood running through his veins.

Taking over 1/6 of our economy, via Obama Care, is where the president's heart lies. He wants this legislation passed and hates to alienate his lefty pacifist base who could care less if the Taliban regains control over Afghanistan. On the other hand, if he refuses to grant McChrystal's request, the anticipated loss will be his and his alone.

Then there is the fact that he will appear weak to all our enemies, though that's not especially important because they are all having a hearty laugh as they watch him cave to one foe after another. So, what to do?

Personally, I have mixed feelings on this issue because I hate to see more of our brave men and women be sent to a conflict in which their commander-in-chief has no strategy for victory. Obama is more interested in avoiding civilian casualties (which admittedly is important, but not at the expense of the lives of our troops), than he is in securing defeat of the enemy. However, permitting the Taliban to regain control of Afghanistan to plan future attacks on America and the West is clearly unacceptable.

Read from the American Thinker:

Bombshell: McChrystal to resign if not given more troops
Rick Moran

"Ed Lasky refers to Obama as a 'ditherer.' A more apt description of our president's non-leadership qualities cannot be found.

He has been dithering about what to do in Afghanistan since January. The delay has only caused the situation there to worsen - to the point that the commanding general on the ground Stanley McChrystal is now begging for more troops in order to avoid disaster.

That leaked report asking for more troops has elicited more excuses, more dithering from the White House. And now we learn via Bill Roggio that McChrystal is doing something almost unheard of; he is challenging his commander in chief to fulfill his desire for more troops or he will resign.

The original article is from Nancy Youssef of McClatchy:


'In Kabul, some members of McChrystal's staff said they don't understand why Obama called Afghanistan a "war of necessity" but still hasn't given them the resources they need to turn things around quickly.

Three officers at the Pentagon and in Kabul told McClatchy that the McChrystal they know would resign before he'd stand behind a faltering policy that he thought would endanger his forces or the strategy.

"Yes, he'll be a good soldier, but he will only go so far," a senior official in Kabul said. "He'll hold his ground. He's not going to bend to political pressure."

On Thursday, Gates danced around the question of when the administration would be ready to receive McChrystal's request, which was completed in late August. "We're working through the process by which we want that submitted," he said.'


Roggio adds:


'Today, the military is perceiving that the administration is punting the question of a troop increase in Afghanistan, and the military is even questioning the administration's commitment to succeed in Afghanistan. The leaking of the assessment and the report that McChrystal would resign if he is not given what is needed to succeed constitute some very public pushback against the administration's waffling on Afghanistan.'


Indeed. Presidents don't usually take such 'advice' lying down. It would not be surprising for Obama to fire McChrystal outright. Publicly challenging the CIC - even if it comes through leaks to a news source - is a violation of military protocols and senior officers have been canned for less.

What this shows is that Obama's dithering on Afghanistan is alarming the military. It also may indicate that McChrystal senses he is being set up to take the fall for failure in Afghanistan and will have no part of it.

Is Obama serious about winning in Afghanistan? McChrystal and his officers apparently aren't sure."


Can't blame McChrystal for refusing to be the fall guy. You think the military despised Obama before the election? You ain't seen nothing yet.

UPDATE:Lt. Col. Ralph Peters offers an alternative plan.